168: The third wave of deception: sages cleverly refute falsehoods.

Behind the wave of Abyssal Berserk Demons, three massive shadows broke through the thick Devilish Qi, revealing their hideous true forms.

[Abyssal Berserker Demon Warlord (Elite Lord · LV38)] ×3:

Size: Standing five meters tall, muscles bunched like granite masonry, body surface covered in heavy dark red bone plates, with hideous bone spurs extending from the joints.

Core Attributes (Estimated):

Strength: 85-95

Physique: 75-85

Agility: 25-30

Spirit/Willpower: 40 (Inclined towards frenzy and chaos, possessing basic command instincts)

Health Points: Approximately 16,000-18,000 points

Special Abilities:

[Warlord's Roar]: Area-of-effect skill, applies "Frenzy" state to allies (Abyssal units) (Attack Power +20%, Defense -10%, duration 2 minutes); applies "Awe" effect to enemies (low probability to interrupt casting/skills, and reduces all attributes by 5%, duration 30 seconds).

[Heavy Crushing Trample]: Slams the ground, dealing massive physical damage (based on Strength) to a fan-shaped area in front and adding a "Knockdown" effect.

[Devilish Qi Link]: Can establish energy links with a large number of Abyssal Berserk Demons within a certain range, sharing a portion of damage and slightly increasing the attack power of linked units.

[Lord's Pressure]: Aura effect, weakening the morale and attributes of non-Abyssal units within range (approx. 5%).

Threat Assessment: Sufficient to cause a serious impact on the existing defensive line; requires elite units or concentrated firepower to handle.

As soon as they appeared, they simultaneously looked up and let out ear-splitting roars! Dark red sound waves mixed with dense Devilish Qi spread out!

[Warlord's Roar] activated!

The remaining nearly twenty thousand Abyssal Berserk Demons were like they had been injected with a stimulant; the red light in their eyes flared, and their attacks became even more frenzied and reckless. They pushed through the rain of arrows and counterattacks, launching a new, more intense assault on the defensive line! Simultaneously, an invisible pressure enveloped the hearts of the defenders. Although greatly weakened by the Net of Law, it still made some lower-Rank Pioneer warriors feel palpitations and shortness of breath.

Meanwhile, the three Warlords took heavy steps, like three tanks of flesh and blood, charging straight toward the most strained nodes of the defensive line! Their goal was clear—to tear open a gap!

"Hunting Squad, move out!" Lin Zhou's command was as cold as iron.

Behind the defensive line, several figures that had long been on standby shot out!

Leading them was the hero unit [Rock Shield · Glang] (LV30, Dwarf Shield Guard Commander). He wasn't wearing his usual heavy shield; instead, he had changed into a set of specialized heavy armor covered with Mohist Mechanisms buffering devices at the joints, holding a heavy battle axe in each hand with blades flickering with Evil Breaking runes. Behind him followed four of the highest-Rank Dwarf Shield Guards (LV28-LV29), similarly lightly equipped and wielding warhammers or heavy axes. On the flanks, three specially reinforced [Spirit Energy Driven Puppet · Siege Type] (LV30, temporarily modified, sacrificing some durability to increase output and mobility) activated simultaneously.

This was the core of the "Hunting" contingency plan—drawing away some top-tier combat power to form a rapid response squad to intercept or kill enemy elite/Lord units at critical moments, relieving pressure on the defensive line.

"Target, the left-wing Warlord! Interception formation!" Rock Shield roared, his Resolute Guardian aura shrinking to focus on covering the squad members. He himself was like a cannonball, being the first to meet the Warlord on the left who was swinging a bone club comparable to a battering ram toward a section of the low wall!

"Roar!" The Warlord sensed the threat, its scarlet eyes locking onto Rock Shield, and the bone club swept across with a shrill wind! The power of this strike was enough to smash an ordinary iron Puppet into a pancake!

Rock Shield did not dodge; he crossed his twin axes in front of him, and the buffering mechanisms on his heavy armor activated instantly, emitting a faint charging sound. He let out a low growl: "Force Deflection · Circular Rotation!"

Bam—!

An extremely dull impact sound rang out! Rock Shield was knocked back seven or eight meters by the immense force, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground. His arms shook violently, his webs between thumb and forefinger split, and blood flowed freely. But he actually blocked it! The Evil Breaking runes on the twin axes flickered intensely, directing part of the impact force into the ground and the buffering mechanisms, while the remaining damage was endured by his ultra-high Physique and temporarily boosted defense!

[Rock Shield · Glang (LV30) · Temporary Attributes (Hunting Mode)]:

Health Points: 3850/4200 (Lost about 350 points from one hit, including buffer reduction)

Status: [Resolute Guardian (Focused)] Physical Defense +15, Health Recovery +10/sec; [Force Deflection Buffer] Damage reduction 30% (for a single heavy strike, duration 3 seconds).

Skill Trigger: [Unmovable Will] (Passive, when suffering a heavy strike, briefly increases spirit resistance by 50%, duration 5 seconds).

"Now!" Rock Shield endured the sharp pain and shouted sternly.

The four elite dwarf warriors on both sides had already surrounded it! They didn't compete with the Warlord in strength; instead, like nimble goats, they used their relatively "small" statures to skillfully close in on the Warlord's relatively fragile joints, knee pits, and ankles! Heavy warhammers and battle axes, carrying the light of Law and Evil Breaking, smashed down fiercely!

Pfft! Crack!

Although the Warlord was thick-skinned, the defense at its joints was relatively weak, and the dwarves' attacks were precise and tricky, with the added Law energy providing extra penetration against the Devilish Qi protection! Instantly, several clusters of dark red blood burst from the left-wing Warlord's knees and ankles. It let out a roar of pain, its massive body swaying slightly!

Three Siege Type Spirit Energy Driven Puppets crashed in from three directions simultaneously! They sacrificed part of their defense, boosting the output power of their spirit energy cores to 120%, their heavy fists slamming into the Warlord's waist, abdomen, and legs like pile drivers!

Meanwhile, the Ballistas and steam Ballistas in the rear adjusted their aim, and several specialized armor-piercing heavy bolts whistled through the air, sinking deep into the Warlord's back and shoulders!

Concentrated fire! An instantaneous burst!

The left-wing Warlord's health bar dropped by a visible chunk (about 18%)! It fell into a brief state of stiffness and rage.

Seeing this, the other two Warlords tried to rush over to support, but the long-range fire on the defensive line and other hero units (such as some high-Rank Elf Rangers) blocked them desperately. Coupled with their own movement speed not being very fast, they were delayed for a time.

The Hunting Squad and the left-wing Warlord fell into a fierce struggle. As the main tank, Rock Shield relied on his exquisite force deflection techniques, powerful Physique, and support from his companions to firmly hold the Warlord's aggro, constantly creating openings. The other members and Puppets took opportunities to deal damage. The battle was extremely dangerous; a single mistake could lead to death or injury, but for now, this largest "nail" was pinned in place, preventing it from directly destroying the defensive line.

However, in Lin Zhou's Divine Thought perception, an even greater crisis was brewing.

The warning from the Star Gazing Platform carried a rare fluctuation: "Warning! Energy readings from the central Abyssal Fissure are skyrocketing! Characterization analysis of the third wave of the Demonic Tide complete—it is not a physical sea, but high-concentration Mental Pollution and rule-interference attacks! Main forms of expression: Large-scale [Fear Aura] (continuous type), high-precision [Illusion Projection] (targeting individuals/key nodes), accompanied by [Cognitive Distortion] (slight)."

"Energy intensity: The Aura's influence range is expected to cover a radius of five kilometers! Illusion Projection target priority: Command nodes, hero units, key buildings, faith core (Lords Hall)!"

"The main body of the third wave of the Demonic Tide has emerged from the Fissure and is spreading! Physical form: Fear Shade (LV25-LV30, semi-corporeal, high spirit attack, low physical resistance), quantity... cannot be accurately counted, estimated at over two hundred thousand, spreading in a mist-like form!"

"Special reminder: The suppression effect of the Net of Law on spirit/rule-based attacks such as 'fear' and 'illusion' is expected to face a severe test. The current 'Illegal' definition's direct weakening efficiency for pure Mental Pollution is approximately 45%."

Almost simultaneously, Lin Zhou felt an icy, viscous, invisible force full of despair and madness, like a cold tsunami, surging out in all directions from the Central Fissure!

The third wave is here!

The first to take effect was that pervasive [Fear Aura]!

Even with the continuous suppression of the Net of Law (which weakened the fear effect by more than 60%), and even though the warriors on the defensive line had been tempered by the bloody battles of the first two waves, when that cold chill of fear—originating from the essence of the Abyss and reaching deep into the Soul—swept across the battlefield, more than thirty percent of the ordinary Pioneer warriors still suddenly froze. Their faces turned deathly pale instantly, and their hands and feet trembled uncontrollably! What was reflected in their eyes was no longer the monsters before them, but the scenes they feared most in the depths of their hearts—their homes destroyed, their loved ones dying tragically, themselves being devoured by monsters, eternal darkness and nothingness... "No... don't come over!"

"Mama..."

"It's over... everything is over..."

Whispers, sobs, and even cries of breakdown began to ring out sporadically behind the defensive line. Although it hadn't reached the level of a large-scale rout, combat will and execution were visibly sliding. Even some lower-Rank dwarf warriors and Spirit Energy Driven Puppets (though constructs have no fear, their operators or energy circuits could be interfered with) showed sluggishness in their movements.

Next came the more targeted [Illusion Projection]!

The scene before Lin Zhou's eyes suddenly distorted! He "saw" the low walls ahead collapsing in large patches under the erosion of Devilish Qi, countless Abyssal Berserk Demons pouring in and wantonly slaughtering his people; "saw" Rock Shield being crushed to pieces under the Warlord's heavy strike; "saw" the Moonlight Divine Domain where Su Yueyao (her figure flashed in his consciousness) was being swallowed by the Abyss; "saw" his own divine fire being extinguished and the Temple of Civilization crumbling... The boundary between reality and illusion became blurred. His Godhead sent a violent warning, indicating he was suffering a high-priority spiritual rule attack. Conventional willpower checks (Lin Zhou's own willpower attribute was extremely high) were being carried out passively, but the illusions were too lifelike and seemed able to dig up and amplify the target's internal latent anxieties.

Not just Lin Zhou, but the hero units on the defensive line were also falling victim!

During the fierce struggle, an illusion of his adjutant being crushed into pulp by the Warlord suddenly appeared before Rock Shield's eyes. His mind shook, his blocking movement was half a beat slow, and he was grazed on the shoulder by the bone club. Instantly, the sound of bone cracking rang out, and blood splattered!

The dwarf technician commanding the Ballistas in the rear saw his beloved steam Ballista suddenly explode, engulfing the surrounding companions in a sea of fire. His finger involuntarily released the trigger, and he stood frozen in place.

Even the pale blue Law patterns of the Net of Law showed imperceptible fluctuations and changes in brightness at the moment Lin Zhou was heavily disturbed by illusions and his Godhead's load increased sharply!

What was even more troublesome were the [Fear Shade] spreading like grayish-black mist! They had no physical form and easily passed through the low walls and shield formations, pouncing directly toward the long-range units, logistics personnel, and even the more central Lords Hall! They emitted not physical attacks, but [Fearful Screeches] and [Mental Drain] targeted directly at the Soul! Units entangled by them would fall into deeper fear and chaos, and even their vitality would be slowly stripped away!

The defensive line was instantly dragged from a physical head-on collision into a more dangerous and bizarre battle of Mental Pollution and rule interference!

"Damn it... is this the true horror of the Abyss?" Lin Zhou gritted his teeth, his Godhead spinning frantically to counter the pervasive erosion of illusions while maintaining the basic framework of the Net of Law. He could feel his Divine Power being consumed at an accelerated rate to stabilize his Divine Thought and resist the rule interference.

Conventional Confucian Righteousness (mainly targeting physical evil and mental protection), Legalist Edicts (suppression of "Illegal" things), School of Military command (reliant on clear communication), Mohist Mechanisms (reliant on stable operation)... when facing such large-scale, high-intensity Mental Pollution and cognitive attacks, they all seemed somewhat inadequate or were severely interfered with.

He needed a power that could act directly on the "conceptual" level, something that could fundamentally "define" or even "twist" the essence of this spiritual attack!

Inside the Temple of Civilization, the area of classics representing the thoughts of the School of Names suddenly vibrated on its own, emitting a strange brilliance different from the righteousness of Confucianism, the strictness of Legalism, and the sharpness of the School of Military—it was a clear light filled with dialectical and logical power, as if it could dissect the relationship between names and reality of all things and blur the boundaries of concepts.

"School of Names... 'He who argues will clarify the distinction between right and wrong, examine the order of governance and chaos, clarify points of similarity and difference, and investigate the logic of names and reality'..." Lin Zhou had a sudden moment of inspiration as an exposition on the core ideology of the School of Names flowed through his mind. The School of Names excelled in argumentation, emphasizing the debate between name and reality, with its core lying in the dissection and application of concepts, names, and logical relationships.

What is fear? It is an emotion, a psychological reaction based on perception and expectation.

What is an illusion? It is a distortion and deception of real perception, a false cognition constructed based on incorrect "information" or "concepts."

If... I could briefly change the "definition" or "association" of the concept of "fear" within a specific range? If I could blur the boundaries between "illusion" and "reality," and even let this confusion act upon the caster (the Abyss) itself?

A bold, almost insane idea took shape within Lin Zhou's Godhead, which was still operating at high speed despite being disturbed by illusions!

Since unlocking the thoughts of the School of Names, he had mainly used them to assist in research, logical deduction, and the analysis of some skill principles. He had never attempted to actively cast the Mohist Schools Art of Argumentation in actual combat, especially in such a large-scale battlefield environment! This required extremely high Godhead computational power, a precise grasp of the subtleties of rules, and... a certain spirit of adventure!

But now, there was no other choice!

Divine light surged in Lin Zhou's eyes as he forcibly "shielded" the illusions invading his Sea of Consciousness (treating them as a stream of error information to be processed). He formed hand seals once more, but this time the seals were more abstract, as if sketching certain logical symbols and conceptual chains in the Void Realm. Within his Godhead, the authorities representing [Civilization · Education] (already sprouted) and [Civilization · Law] (in embryonic form) resonated slightly, providing the basic framework for the upcoming, "softer" yet essence-piercing rule manipulation.

His voice was no longer cold and majestic like the Legalist Edicts, but carried a strange rhythm that seemed thought-provoking and capable of confusing right and wrong. Through his Divine Thought and the Fire of Civilization, he "conversed" directly with the underlying rules within the battlefield area:

"Mohist Schools Art of Argumentation: First Form—Concept Confusion · Redefining 'Fear'!"

"The world has its Dao, and all things have their names. Now there is 'fear,' a movement of the heart and a disturbance of the spirit. But what is 'fear'? To fear when seeing a fierce tiger is to dread being devoured; to fear when facing an abyss is to dread falling. This is the common logic of fear."

"However, at this moment and in this place, the 'fear' sown by the Abyss has no form of a fierce tiger and no reality of an abyss; it is only a voice of vanity, a distorted image, and a thought that deludes the heart! This 'fear' is not true fear; it is false fear, illusionary fear!"

"Since it is 'false fear' or 'illusionary fear,' why not use its own way to pay it back in kind? I now define: Every Soul invaded by this 'false fear,' the 'dread' felt by its heart and the 'pressure' borne by its spirit—shall have its nature transformed. Change 'fear' to 'excitement,' turn 'dread' into 'courage,' and transform 'pressure' into 'motivation'!"

"This is—Equivocation · 'Fear' → 'Excitement'! Range: My territory and the front lines of the defense! Target: All units affected by this wave of Abyssal Mental Pollution (including enemies? Need precise limitation)!"

This was not forcibly dispelling or suppressing fear, but a clever "Equivocation" performed at the conceptual level! The emotion of "fear" imposed by the enemy was briefly redefined and redirected at the rule level, causing its nature to shift!

Performing such a large-scale, high-difficulty conceptual operation consumed far more than usual! Lin Zhou's Divine Power reserves instantly dropped by over 300 units! The Godhead load soared to 81%! The light of the School of Names classics in the Temple of Civilization also dimmed a bit; clearly, this strike was not a small drain.

The effect was immediate!

First were those pervasive [Fear Phantoms]! They were originally formless spiritual aggregates, but when the "fear" fluctuations they emitted touched the range of Lin Zhou's territory rules, the core "concept" underwent a subtle shift! The fluctuations that originally made living beings tremble and despair became strange and... "stimulating"?

Several Fear Shades pouncing toward a terrified Pioneer archer suddenly had their gray-black misty bodies twist violently. The pitch of their [Fearful Screech] became sharp and weird, as if carrying a ridiculous, irritating sense of excitement. The archer, who had closed his eyes waiting for death, suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable irritability and impulse. His sense of fear decreased greatly, replaced by a strong urge to fire an arrow at that screaming mass of mist! He subconsciously drew his bow and released an arrow; although its effect in penetrating the mist was limited, the phantom seemed to suffer a "conceptual backlash," its mist churning even more violently.

Next were the defenders affected by the [Fear Aura]. The illusions of fear evoked deep in their hearts did not completely disappear, but the cold, desperate emotional undertone was covered and mixed by a strange, scorching emotion similar to "anger" or "extreme tension and excitement."

"Ah—! So annoying! These ghostly things!" A young warrior who had been shivering earlier suddenly had red eyes. He swung his weapon wildly at the air a few times and then panted heavily. Although his eyes were still somewhat confused, his fear was clearly replaced by a violent excitement, pulling his attention back to the real enemy (Berserk Demon) in front of him.

"Kill! Kill them all! Don't let these ghostly things get close!" Similar growls echoed throughout the defense line. The state of the defenders became very strange, as if they had been injected with low-quality stimulants; fear was suppressed, but their reason also declined, while their desire to attack rose abnormally high. Overall, their combat will was forcibly turned from "on the verge of collapse" to "chaotic and excited resistance," and the crumbling trend of the defense line was actually temporarily stopped!

The most dramatic scene occurred among some of the Berserk Demons rushing at the very front, as well as... the three Warlords!

Berserk Demons already had low intelligence and a simple, violent mental structure. They were also affected by the [Fear Aura] of the third Demonic Tide (though the effect on them might be different from that on orderly beings, Abyssal energy itself carries chaotic traits). When Lin Zhou's [Concept Confusion: Fear → Excitement] rule covered them, the impact on these simple-minded units of the chaotic alignment was even more direct and... bizarre!

Over a hundred Berserk Demons at the forefront of the Demonic Tide suddenly had the light in their blood-red eyes become turbulent. Within the red, an unstable, unsettling ghostly green light actually began to show! Their charging movements suddenly stiffened and then became more violent and... more disorganized!

"Awoo—!" A Berserk Demon with green-glinting eyes suddenly abandoned the dwarven shield wall in front of it, turned abruptly, and bit into the shoulder of another Berserk Demon next to it!

"Roar!" The bitten Berserk Demon felt the pain and instinctively punched back!

These two monsters actually started brawling right at the front lines! Several Berserk Demons around them also seemed infected by this sudden "excitement" and "chaos"; some began to indiscriminately attack any moving object nearby, including their companions, while others spun in place like they were drunk, letting out meaningless roars.

[Concept Confusion: Partial Effectiveness Feedback]:

Effective Range: Centered on the Lords Hall, a radius of approximately 800 meters (slightly smaller than the full range of the Net of Law, concentrating power).

Effect on Allied Units: "Fear" emotion weakened by 70%, converted into a "Chaotic Excitement" state. In this state: Attack Desire +30%, Attack Power +10%, Defense -5%, Reason -15%, Skill Success Rate -10%. Estimated duration: 3-5 minutes.

Effect on Abyssal Units (Low Intelligence): "Fear/Chaos" emotion shifted toward "Extreme Excitement and Infighting Tendency." Some units (approx. 8%) fell into "Indiscriminate Attack" or "Erratic Behavior" states. Estimated duration: 1-3 minutes (due to higher resistance of Abyssal units).

Effect on Fear Shades: The "Fear" component in their mental attacks is contaminated, reducing effectiveness by about 40%, with a certain probability of triggering instability in their own energy structure (self-damage).

Effect on High-Tier Abyssal Units (Overseers): Slight interference. Warlords are LV38 with high mental resistance and a certain level of rule resistance. Only able to slightly disturb their emotions, making their attacks a bit more impatient and causing a 0.5-1 second delay in skills like [Warlord's Roar].

Total Consumption: 320 units of Divine Power. Godhead load +6% (temporary).

Remarks: The effectiveness of this skill relies heavily on the caster's understanding and operational precision of "concepts," and is significantly influenced by factors such as rule resistance, intelligence levels, and environmental interference. It is a high-risk, high-reward tactic.

Although the impact on the Warlords was limited, the sudden infighting and chaos among the front-line Berserk Demon clusters undoubtedly greatly relieved the pressure on the defense line! Especially when combined with the "chaotic excitement" style resistance forcibly turned around on the defenders' side, the Berserk Demons' offensive was actually halted for a time!

And the threat of the pervasive [Fear Phantoms] was also greatly reduced.

Lin Zhou panted slightly, his Godhead processing the massive amount of data from the skill feedback at high speed. He knew this was only a temporary measure; the effect of "Concept Confusion" could not last, and the side effects were obvious (the "chaotic excitement" state of his own side was not a healthy one). But at least he had won precious breathing room and found a new way to deal with this bizarre mental attack!

However, the crisis was not resolved.

Although the three Warlords were slightly disturbed, they were still steadily approaching the defense line. The Warlord on the left, entangled by the Hunting Squad, still had over half its health and remained fierce.

The terrifying energy of the Central Fissure was still climbing, and the shadow of the fourth Demonic Tide seemed to be just around the corner.

And most importantly... those seven "non-Abyssal rule fluctuations" that had been observing from the periphery seemed to have finally made up their minds after the third Demonic Tide erupted and Lin Zhou performed the astounding "Concept Confusion" technique. They suddenly accelerated, charging straight toward the heart of the battlefield—Lin Zhou's territory defense line!

The Star Gazing Platform sent out an alarm that was almost a scream: "Seven targets accelerating! Speed increased by 300%! Estimated contact in thirty seconds! Detected mixed energy reactions: including strong natural energy, Sharp Metal Qi, Blazing Fire, Heavy Earth, Cold Ice... and... a faint, obscure will of 'observation' and 'evaluation'!"

"Warning! The other party has not shown direct hostility, but their energy intensity is extremely high, with individual fluctuations estimated to be no lower than LV150 (True God level)! Intent unknown!"

Friend? Foe? Or... a fisherman waiting to strike while the iron is hot?

Lin Zhou's eyes were as sharp as knives as he looked at the seven streaks of light, each a different color but equally powerful, tearing through the air.

"Finally... am I to face you directly?" he whispered, his Divine Thought sweeping across the messy and chaotic battlefield, over his fighting kin, over the bottomless fissure, and finally settling on those seven rapidly enlarging silhouettes.

"The Way of the Hundred Schools is all-encompassing, but it also... does not fear challenges!"

He took a deep breath, and his remaining Divine Power began to flow according to a specific rhythm. The Fire of Civilization flickered slightly, resonating faintly with the core buildings in his Divine Domain, such as the Jixia Academy, the Temple of Law, and the Tiangong Workshop. He was preparing—preparing to meet the unknown contact, whether it be for battle, talk, or something else.

The course of the Survival Trial, at this moment, slid into even more confusing and deep waters.